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Huskies, Bulldogs split, eye Game 3

PAWHUSKA — Pawhuska High School righthander Tyler Culver positioned the Huskies for a two-punch knockout by fashioning a 12-strikeout, one-hit gem Thursday in the opening game of Class 3A district baseball matchup with the Lincoln Christian Bulldogs.

But the opportunity for the home sweep was squandered in the second contest as the Huskies allowed the Bulldogs to sneak across three late runs and claim a 4-3 victory.

Lincoln Christian was due back at PHS for a decisive game three scheduled for a mid-afternoon start Friday.

Taylor Priest led Pawhuska’s offensive support of Culver en route to the 4-1 triumph in the opener. Priest went two-for-two at the plate, knocked in a run and scored twice — including the game’s first run in the bottom of the third and and a final insurance tally in the sixth.

After a leadoff single, Priest advanced on a bunt, stole third and came home when a wild throw by the Bulldogs. Zalin Edwards of the Huskies, who walked with two outs, was targeted on a pickoff attempt. When the throw by the Lincoln Christian pitcher sailed high over first, Edwards circled the bases to score behind Priest with the second Pawhuska run.

Priest also used his speed to beat out a two-out infield single and put the Huskies up, 3-1, after the Bulldogs scored their lone run in the top of the fourth. Dallas McCarty collected a pair of hits for Pawhuska, while teammates Zak Wilson and Kendall Oller had one each.

PHS hurler Culver walked one Lincoln Christian batter and hit two with pitches. He mixed a rising fastball with a sharp curve to retire a dozen Bulldogs on strikes. Culver, a junior, also scored a run.

In the second game, Lincoln Christian grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning only to watch Pawhuska tie the score with a run in the second and then go up in the third, 2-1.

Connor McNeil scored on a sacrifice fly by Trent Hollister to get the Huskies on the board. For the go-ahead run, Culver knocked home McCarty, who had singled to open the inning.

A leadoff single and a hit batsmen got the Bulldogs started on their game-winning rally in the sixth. Next came a perfect bunt for a hit, loading the bases. A sacrifice fly pulled Lincoln Christian within a run, at 3-2. The Bulldogs evened the scoring on wild pitch and the go-ahead run scored from third on a throw to first following a strikeout.

Pawhuska now has a season record of 16-12, while Lincoln Christian stands 11-14. The Thursday loss was the fourth out of 13 games played in April by the Huskies— with all the losses coming via one-run decisions.